High school football roundup: Tumwater tops North Kitsap to return to 2A state title game
Results, recaps and more from the Week 13 high school football semifinals around the South Sound will be posted on this page Saturday.
Find Week 13 scores from games across Washington on our statewide scoring sheet, which will be updated live throughout the weekend.
SATURDAY’S RESULTS (NOV. 25)
2A STATE SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Tumwater 19, 4 North Kitsap 17
Needing a drive to save their season, the top-ranked Tumwater T-Birds got two. And the T-Birds threw in a big stop in the middle to ensure another trip to the Class 2A state championship game.
Tumwater drove 75 yards at the end of the third quarter of its 19-17 semifinals victory over visiting North Kitsap, taking the lead for the third time in the game with 11 minutes, 50 seconds left to play, and held on to get its second chance in three seasons at a state title.
The T-Birds (13-0) will play Anacortes (12-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium. Two years ago, Tumwater advanced to the championship but lost to Lynden, 21-7.
“That stuck with me,” Tumwater running back Kooper Clark said of that loss two years ago. “It was a bitter taste. So to go and be able to compete again, it’s really special.”
Tumwater had to come back not once but twice in the second half against the Vikings (11-2). North Kitsap took a 10-7 lead with 6:08 to play in the third quarter on Andrew Knott’s 25-yard field goal.
That kick ignited a flurry of points as Tumwater drove to take a 13-10 lead with 4:34 in the quarter on Clark’s second of three rushing touchdowns, this one from 8 yards out. Three plays later, North Kitsap quarterback Cole Edwards connected with Lelond Anderson for 58 yards and a 17-13 lead with 3:32 remaining in the third.
It was a far cry from the first time these teams met early in the season. Tumwater won that one, 34-14, as the Vikings played without several players, including arguably their best athlete in receiver Logan Sloman.
“We are a completely different team,” North Kitsap running back Carter Dungy said. “Coming back with Logan, he’s a huge part of our team. We had a lot of courage. We’ve definitely grown so much as a team. I’m always trying to drive my feet, get those extra 2 yards.”
Tumwater, which dominated the time of possession throughout the game, had four straight first-half drives end either in a turnover, a missed field goal or the clock running out to settle for a 7-7 tie at the half.
“Things went wrong, but we knew that wasn’t our best football that we played,” said Clark, who finished with 248 yards rushing on 31 carries to go with his three touchdowns. “We just have a standard that that’s not the football that we play. We knew that coming out of half it was going to be a whole different ballgame.”
Trailing by those four points, the T-Birds drove those 75 yards for the lead. They then saw North Kitsap drive to the Tumwater 19, needing just another Knott field goal to retake the lead.
“They are a really good team,” Tumwater coach Willie Garrow said. “We knew this was going to be a challenge.”
Tumwater sacked Edwards on a third down and then stopped a fake field goal run from holder Tate Stearns with 6:27 left. Needing just a drive to run clock, the T-Birds did so.
“First downs,” T-Birds quarterback Ethan Kastner said. “We just wanted first downs and to keep it for six minutes.”
They did, and earned a trip to Seattle and Husky Stadium.
“It’s just great to be back, to get to play one more week,” Garrow said of playing at the UW. “I think it’s a bigger deal for the kids (to play at Husky Stadium).”
No. 2 Anacortes 34, No. 3 Enumclaw 20
Anacortes quarterback Rex Larson threw five touchdowns — an aerial passing show against one of the state’s top defenses that propelled the Seahawks into next weekend’s 2A championship game at Husky Stadium.
Enumclaw was denied a second-half point following a blow-for-blow bout between heavyweights in the first and second quarters, and Anacortes (12-0) emerged for a 34-20 win in Saturday’s state semifinals contest at Anacortes High School.
Anacortes wide receiver Rylin Lang secured three touchdown receptions, including both the first and final touchdowns that sparked the Seahawks’ scoring spree and later sealed a trip to the title game.
Enumclaw’s (12-1) undefeated season ends in the state’s final four — just weeks after storming through an unscathed 2A SPSL title run and outscoring its three prior postseason opponents, 167-42.
The Hornets responded to each of Anacortes’ three first-half touchdowns, creating an early shootout. Enumclaw quarterback Gunnar Trachte threw touchdowns to receivers Alec Johnson and Karson Holt, and running back Seamus Twohey converted a 4-yard run that evened the score at 20 before the half.
Midway through the third, Anacortes’ Larson rolled to his right and hit wide receiver Landon Schafer for a 4-yard touchdown, the eventual game-winner.
Anacortes will play top-seeded Tumwater (13-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday in the 2A state championship game.
4A STATE SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Graham-Kapowsin 27, No. 4 Eastlake 24
3A STATE SEMIFINALS
No. 1 Yelm 7, No. 4 Eastside Catholic 0
This story was originally published November 25, 2023 at 10:18 PM.
